1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to closures and more particularly to a closure for retaining an additive material to mix with a container material within a container.
2. Background of the Invention
Various types of container closures have been proposed by the prior art for retaining an additive material for subsequent mixing with a container material within a container. Typically, the additive material was retained within a chamber having a frangible wall. A moving portion of the container closure pierced the frangible wall for enabling the additive material of the chamber to mix with the container material within the container. The following U.S. patents represent some of the attempts of the prior art to provide new and useful container closures for retaining an additive material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,567 to Smith discloses a closure for the container having a chamber for a preparation therein. A seating disk is in sealing relation with the container and closing the bottom of the chamber. The closure has a hole in-the upper portion thereof. A puncturable diaphragm is located between the hole and the top of the chamber. A puncturing means is operatively connected with the cap to move therewith to puncture the diaphragm and enter the chamber and release the sealing disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,870 to Smith discloses a closure device comprising an inner body portion and a flexible outer closure. The body portion has a flanged portion adapted to engage the end of the neck of a bottle. The inner body portion has a sleeve portion adapted to fit within a bottle neck. The sleeve portion has an elastic, normally planar diaphragm intermediate the length thereof. There is an inner and an outer recess in the body portion with the diaphragm closing communication between the recesses. A closure member engages the inner body portion and includes a body portion closing the inner end of the inner recess. The closure member includes an annular side wall adapted to engage a bottle neck and an end flange adapted to engage the end of a bottle, and a medicinal preparation in the inner recess. The outer closure having an inwardly directed stem movable therewith, and a piercing tube carried by the stem. The piercing tube has a beveled sharpened point adapted to pierce the diaphragm and the closure member body portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,169 to Bowels et al discloses a bicameral package comprising mixing container having a pouring neck presenting a mouth portion, a cup fitting in the neck and adapted to be slidably removed therefrom. The cup has an outwardly extending peripheral flange fitting over the mouth portion. The peripheral flange has a greater diameter than the mouth portion and overlapping the peripheral edge of the mouth portion. A removable and replaceable cap is adapted to fit over and mechanically engage the neck removably and replaceably. The cap has a shoulder contacting the flange on the cup and pressing it downwardly toward the mouth portion to form a seal when the cap is fully engaged with the neck. The cap has an inwardly extending ridge portion spaced below the shoulder and forming therewith a retaining recess for receiving the overlapping portion of the peripheral flange of the cup and retaining the cup in the cap when the cap is removed from the neck, and a plunger fitting in the cup and is displaceable toward the bottom of the cup to remove a portion of the cup. The cap has a relatively rigid frangible top section above the plunger and the frangible section is adapted to be broken to permit access to the plunger for displacing the plunger toward the bottom of the cup to remove a portion of the cup and allow the contents of the cup to be mixed with the other contents of the container while the cap is in position on the neck of the container. The frangible section comprises a removable portion having a transverse dimension less than the transverse dimension of the top of the plunger so that the plunger cannot be displaced from the cup through the opening left in the top of the cap by displacement of the removable portion. The top of the plunger has a transverse dimension greater than the inside diameter of the cup for preventing the plunger from being removed from the cup through the bottom of the cup, whereby the cap containing the cup and the plunger may be removed easily from the pouring neck by unscrewing the cap from the neck to allow some of the mixture to be poured from the mixing container and the mixing container may be reclosed by screwing the cap back on the pouring neck and the cup and the plunger retained therein to complete the closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,410 to Schwartzman discloses an applicator for use with a container provided with a neck having an open end and having a first substance disposed therein. The applicator comprises a retainer ring having a projecting portion for reception in the neck, and a portion overlying the open end. The applicator further includes a fitting detachably engaging the outer surface of the neck, an applicator head having openings therethrough, a resilient bellows integral with the applicator head and the fitting and connecting the fitting to the applicator head. The projecting portion is provided at the lowermost end thereof with sealing means to hold a second substance within the retainer ring. A stem integrally depending from the applicator head is engageable with the sealing means upon depression of the applicator head and bellows to open the sealing means to permit the second substance to mix with the first substance. The bellows normally urges the stem away from the sealing means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,872 to Cavazza discloses a dispenser and dispenser closure for storing two products separately in and on a necked container for eventual mixing thereof and dispensing them as a mixture. A sealed cup-shaped plug closes the container and has a bottom that is punchable or pierceable. The container contains a first material that is to be mixed with a second material contained in the cup-shaped plug externally of the container interior. A dispensing element which is a tubular punching piston is disposed slidable axially in the cup and is provided with a leading edge at an inner open end for punching or piercing the plug's bottom for introducing the second material into the container upon being depressed. The punching piston fixed therein coaxially therewith a dispensing tube open at both ends. A removable cover closes an outer end of the tube and removed therefrom automatically upon the punching piston being displaced. The mixture contents are dispensed through the dispensing tube by first depressing the punching piston and then inverting the container once the mixture has been effected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,825 to Sutryn, et al. discloses a composite package adapted for initially separately containing a dry medicament and a diluent therefore. The diluent containing package portion being a collapsible bag with an I.V. set fitment attachment port and an injection port, and a dry medicament containing receptacle container. The dry medicament container includes an open end cylinder sealingly engageably mountable in a top opening in the collapsible bag. The cylinder having an elastomeric bottom closure plug therein. A top plunger means constitutes a top cylinder closure and a final seal for the container. The plunger is depressible within the cylinder, and operable to displace the bottom closure plug to open the cylinder bottom for discharge therefrom, and subsequent mixing of the dry medicament in the diluent in the collapsible bag for subsequent disbursement of the mixture therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,927 to Morane discloses a container comprising a bottle for a liquid product and having at the end of its neck a leakproof envelope enclosing an additional product to be stored separately from the liquid in the bottle. A cap on the neck includes a slidable push button carrying a perforator to open the envelope in a central region of the envelope to allow the additional product to mix with the liquid and then to be discharged through an eccentric duct in the cap rather than having to pass through the center of the cap where the perforator is positioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,104 to Murphy et al. discloses a consumable, non-reusable cuvette for containing a sample or specimen during an automated test thereof, primarily for medical diagnostic purposes. The cuvette has a single, main reaction chamber that is pre-loaded at the factory with the precise quantity of a particular liquid or dry reagent useful for a specific test. The cover of the cuvette includes an opening to permit the introduction of a diluent or liquid reagent into the reagent chamber, a manually loaded, recessed sample receiving chamber having a frangible bottom floor and a purge reservoir. A cap is hinged to the cuvette cover and includes a rigid protruding member that pierces the sample or specimen chamber floor when closed by the testing machine, sealing the contents of the cuvette, allowing the sample to be dispensed into the chamber containing the reagent and diluent. The side walls and floor of the reaction chamber include optically transparent windows for radiant energy testing of the reagent before and after the sample is added to the reagent. Because the cap seals the contents of the cuvette, the cuvette is safely disposable after the test is completed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,345 to Guasch et al. discloses a container including a bottom container closed at a bottom end and open at a top end and having a tubular neck, a top container open at a top end and closed at a bottom by a tearable seal, a flap extending radially out from an exterior of the top container so that the flap surrounds the neck of the bottom container, and a tubular sleeve having a bottom end and a top end. The bottom end defined by a beveled edge and the top end closed by a truncated cone. The bottom end of the tubular sleeve being sized and shaped to be received within the open end of the top container. The tubular neck has a peripheral edge containing a first set of stria, and an interior of the tubular neck has a plurality of sealing rings. The top container engages the sealing rings of the bottom container, and the flap surrounds the neck of the bottom container, when the top container is inserted into the interior of the tubular neck. The bottom end of the tubular sleeve has a beveled edge and the top end is closed by a truncated cone. The tubular sleeve may be moved axially within the top container so that the beveled edge tears the tearable seal in the top container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,884 to Coory discloses a cap for a container where a drink, made of two components, can be stored or carried with the components stored separately. The components are mixed prior to the consumption of the drink. The cap includes a collar secured to the container and a top which is in two parts. The top is moveable between an open and a closed position. When the top is initially in the open position, a basket between the top and the liquid initially holds the material, which can be a powder or tablet. The top is initially closed to release the seal between the liquid and the material, the drink is shaken, and the top reopened for a passageway from the liquid to the exterior of the cap. A cover is releasably secured over the cap.
Although the aforementioned U.S. patents have set forth interesting solutions for the closure art, none of these container closures have satisfied the need of the closure art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material to mix with a container material within a container with improved performance over the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material wherein the additive material is retained in a tamper evident condition.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material wherein the additive material may be mixed with a container material within a container upon the depression of an externally extending plunger.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material wherein the improved container closure may be formed as a two piece assembly.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material wherein the improved container closure may be formed as a three piece assembly with a conventional closure.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container closure for retaining an additive material wherein the additive material may be mixed with a container material and be dispensed through the improved container closure.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment of the invention.